I made it travelling around Orange County without a car. The deal is I did all my travelling for the day for only 3 dollars with a day pass. That's even cheaper than Singapore, considering I'm in expensive Orange County. Just had to pull out 3 things in my spiritual arsenal
1) Planning... Yeah God bless the internet... and the Orange Country Transportation Authority for having a trip planner feature in their website.
2) Walking.. Glad I still have this....
3) Waiting... Yeah baby.... waiting on the Lord and it's all paying off...

Everybody advised me to rent a car or something. The motel staff even discouraged me from taking public transport because according to them nobody does it. I learned that when someone says nobody does it, there's somebody who's doing it.

At the end of the day having done it, I was determined to make my entrance into the motel reception holding my 'Day Pass' and do a show & tell of my experience, but those guys were not on duty. It's like the Lord knows. Anyway its not really that I'm subborn. It's just more economical. Also its between moving around in comfort and having a to stay at the end of the trip. However I'm just happy that so called old-fashioned ways still has its application today.



The pre conferenece session was good. It was entitled Leadership Essentials with Craig Jutila. Craig is the pastor of children's ministry there. The purpose of his session wasn't really to teach through he shared an out of planned lesson called 12 'Don'ts' that is worth doing based on his 18 years in the ministry. He tried to connect with us by being authentic with the life that he had to lead as a pastor, husband and dad. His wife Wendy shared about the struggle the family goes through. Craig is ADD and 2 of his three kids are ADD as well so I can imagine. With all the things they balanced as a family, in leadership and ministry, the often had to go to sort of hell and back. They had great tips of having breakfast together (which is something that I appreciate that we do) and dating once a week. Or at least they try to cos they haven't for one for a few months now. Their breakfast on their day off on Friday was to plan and communicate what each had to do for the following week. They also trash out whatever that needs to be trashed out. Friday night is dating night. In Singapore we don't call it dating. We call it courtship. Sometimes I feel that before marriage, courtship is like tennis where we hit the ball to the other in the way they will hit it back. After marriage, we try to hit the ball, hoping she misses and the ball remains on her side of the court. Whatever it is I think we all need to be teachable and allow God to show us his wonder in whatever that appears not so wonderful.

Some of the things I learned.
- Most of the time bad news are exaggerated don't sweat over it, move on
- Don't just do it, be it. We don't do children ministry, we have to be children's ministry.
- Don't spend your time, invest it. esp. invest in people.
- Balance buying and building noting that curriculum can be bought but leadership can't be.

Connected with several children ministry leaders, pastors and director. We talked little about ministry. We just talked and get to know one another. It was great, I feel all of us had this humble disposition of approaching the time with certain emptiness, a certain element which say 'we don't know anything.... tell us something'. Most of the poeple I talk to said 'Your english is so good'. Now that's flattering. Nobody ever said that to me before, NEVER ! Not even once. Now to have 3 or 4 similar comments in one day. I may just decide to run for MP.

Was in bed by 9 last night. Had six hours of sleep before and up again. It's 3am now. In a few hours time I'm off again for the first day of the conference. I don't know but for all those who came last year whom I spoke to, the said that I'll love it. This was meant to be an email to Mag but it'll catch her at a wrong time so I turned it into a blog entry. Hope you don't mind my ranting.